The gift of a voice is precious – it can captivate millions with its unique melody, spark emotions as no other instrument or physical feat can, and bring joy to whoever hears it.
Just as any singer must take care of their vocal cords through regular practice and exercise, they must also ensure that the environment around them is in perfect harmony.
But when you have hoarseness of voice from throat dryness or an off-pitch performance due to a lack of humidity—it hardly feels worth the effort.
With that being said, using a personal humidifier for singing might be just what your vocal cords need to stay healthy and ensure top performance quality every time you open up shop. I’ve listed the benefits of cool or warm mist humidifiers to keep your voice hydrated and preserve your happy singing voice!
Types of Humidifiers to Keep Your Voice Hydrated
A humidifier is not something singers often think about, but maintaining humidity levels can be invaluable. Here are the main humidifiers you benefit from:
Portable Humidifiers
These small devices are easy to transport to practices and performances and do an excellent job of keeping their surroundings at optimal humidity levels. Portable ultrasonic humidifiers are ideal for office cabins, cars, and other places when you’re on the go. Many modern models also feature added features like built-in aromatherapy for soothing your throat before or after a performance.
Warm Humidifiers
Warm single-room humidifiers perform similarly to portable units in terms of providing necessary moisture to the air, but they are larger and require more energy to run than their portable counterparts.
Evaporative Humidifier
An evaporative unit requires very little energy as it passes air through a wetted filter that absorbs water from it as it passes through. This moisture then evaporates into the air providing necessary humidity levels in any room where it is placed.
Related article: What Should I Set My Humidifier To?
Benefits of Humidifiers for Singers
Now that you know which filter less humidifier or handheld humidifier you should look into, let’s dive into their benefits:
1. Maintains Humidity Levels
Maintaining optimal humidity levels is essential for singers because high humidity can cause irritation, while lack of humidity can lead to dry throats and nasal passages. A humidifier helps singers maintain healthy vocal cords by adding moisture into the air, so they don’t have to worry about having an overly dry throat or nasal passages while singing or speaking.
A humidifier works by evaporating water into tiny droplets, which then get dispersed into the air as water vapor. This process increases the amount of moisture in the air and helps create an ideal environment for singing.
To use a humidifier effectively, you will need a cup of water or a bottle of saline water placed inside the unit’s water tank. Depending on your humidifier, you can switch between cold and hot water. As long as you keep a fresh bottle of water every day, your humidifier will work effectively and maintain optimal humidity levels to protect your voice box.
2. Keeps Your Cords Hydrated
As a singer, you need hydration for your vocal cords. This is why vocal coaches and music industry pros recommend using humidifiers to keep your cords hydrated.
Regular steam sessions and humidification help keep your vocal cords at optimum hydration so you can sing without any disruptions caused by dryness. One thing to remember when using a humidifier is that the water used in these devices should always be fresh and filtered.
Low-quality tap water can cause deposits to build up in the unit over time, which could lead to clogs or other problems like mold growth in the extra-large water tank of your machine. To avoid this issue, clean your humidifier’s steam inhaler jar and filters—at least once per week, if not more often—to prevent bacteria or contaminants from building up inside it.
3. Reduces Stress on Vocal Cords
Though popular culture often portrays singing as an effortless act, your vocal cords receive stress when you sing. And that’s why you need a warm or cool-mist humidifier to keep yourself comfortable. High humidity can keep vocal cords lubricated, which reduces fatigue and strain on the throat, allowing singers to project louder and clearer vocals with less effort. Proper hydration of the vocal cords also allows musicians to reach higher notes and maintain a more consistent pitch.
A humidifier should be used when preparing for a singing performance and during warm-ups before practice sessions. While it may seem like a small detail, proper hydration and lubrication of vocal cords make all the difference when performing live or in studio recordings! By taking proper care of one’s voice with a humidifier, singers will find themselves able to project better tone quality with less effort!
4. Eliminates the Need to Clear Your Throat Too Often
When enough moisture is in the air, it becomes easier for singers to take full breaths without feeling fatigued or strained by the effort. This benefit leads to you not needing to clear your throat, which can disturb your vocal pitch. If the air you inhale has enough moisture, you better articulate words as there is less resistance against the sound waves created by their voice. Sometimes drinking plain water isn’t enough – the humidifier lets you capture the moisture around you and add it directly into your environment, resulting in a more comfortable singing experience.
5. Prevents Voice Cracks
Voice cracks occur when there is not enough water between your vocal folds which makes them stick together instead of vibrating freely when they should be. A humidifier or advanced steam inhaler keeps the environment around your vocal folds at a higher moisture level. No matter how hard or long you are singing, there will always be enough water available for your vocal folds so they won’t stick together and cause voice cracks. Some singers even report that using a humidifier has allowed them to sing higher notes easily!
Tip! Check out my personal selection of Best Humidifiers for Hard Water
Does a Humidifier Help Your Vocal Cords?
Yes, a humidifier can help your vocal cords if the air around you is super dry because that can really mess with your throat and make your voice sound all scratchy and weird. A humidifier can fix that by putting some moisture back in the air and making your vocal cords feel nice and hydrated.
Rounding Up
Humidifiers come in many forms such as:
- Filterless humidifier
- Handheld humidifier
- Cordless humidifier
Regardless of which type you choose, all of them work on the same basic principle: They add moisture to the air by releasing water vapor into it.
If you struggle with a dry throat or congestion in the nasal passage while singing, a humidifier can rescue you from it. It will maintain comfortable humidity levels, so your vocal cords don’t get stressed, and there’s the least friction when you practice your pitch.
To keep throat itching and congestion at bay, invest in a good-quality whole-house humidifier for your vocal health!
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